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Tag Archives: homesickness

Yes, I have finally pulled everything together and published Abandoned after 3 years of drafting.

I began it in the summer of 2009 while I was living in Salonika (Thessaloniki) in Greece. I was all alone with 2 months ahead of me, trying to think how I could creatively enjoy my time off school as an English teacher. I had always loved writing stories and illustrating, and I had been utilising this passion for my Greek students, making up stories for them to help them contextualise vocabulary that we were learning in class, and how to use grammatical structures correctly. It proved to be fun and soon I was writing more and more for them, which made me really happy as I was encouraging them to read and also to be creative as homework tasks were set such as write your own conclusion to this story.

So I spent a lot of time in my study planning the plot and drawing sketches of the characters. I became utterly absorbed in my new fantasy world and would type away from the hours of 9pm to 4am every night; the balcony doors wide open, a gentle summer night breeze bellowing the curtains and my favourite Rock Radio Station playing in the background. It was the ONLY time that the city was quiet and cool enough for me to focus so I became a night owl. I loved it!

this is typical of my nightly sky views from my apartment

The City streets where I would walk

it was a very inspiring city for the writer

Thessaloniki will always be my Muse. It’s my heart (kardia in Greek) and soul (psihi) and I miss it terribly.

Here is the front cover of my book. I designed it myself using Photoshop.

The Synopsis

Casey is a spoiled sixteen year old. She does not appreciate her parents, her privileged life or anyone who doesn’t adhere to her beliefs or passions. When her father accepts a post as a village Doctor and they move into a beautiful old mansion in the countryside, she is determined to rebel. Bored and angry to have left her friends back in the city she decides to defy her selfish parents, refusing to make friends with neighbours Lee and Lisa, and determined to spend her days alone.
But her bad attitude is about to change.
It all begins with Eliza. She discovers her punk rag doll under her bed, but there is something sinister about her. This doll is sad and torn and makes Casey uneasy and afraid. On a solitary walk she comes across a house that looks exactly like her own, but is deserted and burned out. It haunts her with terrifying feelings which draw her back there again and again. This begins a rollercoaster ride of fear, sadness, love and self-discovery. The house weaves the web which entangles Casey into a series of events connecting the doll, the boy called Lee and her fated future.
Why does Eliza, her doll, keep appearing in that house?
Who is the handsome boy wearing her favourite t-shirt who hangs out in the burnt out attic bedroom. Why is he petrified of her?
Gradually, Casey begins to piece together the sinister clues from her journal entries and sketchbooks that manifest themselves in that house. Eventually they lead her to a terrifying discovery. Can she look deep into herself and mend her selfish ways before she destroys herself and the people she loves?